FAQ's

- What is Wi-Fi?
- What does a router do? And why do I need a wireless router?
- What is IEEE 802.11n?
- How is IEEE 802.11n different to current generations of Wi-Fi?
- What does IEEE 802.11n provide that IEEE 802.11g does not?
- Is the IEEE 802.11n draft v2.0 standard backwards compatible to IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11g?
- Are IEEE 802.11n draft v2.0 products compatible with products from other vendors?
- Why is Wi-Fi certification important?
- When will the final IEEE 802.11n standard be ratified?
- Will I be able to upgrade IEEE 802.11n draft v2.0 devices to the final IEEE 802.11n standard?
- What does MIMO mean/do and what is its benefit?
- What does WPS mean/do and what is its benefit?
- What is "Intelligent Stream Handling Technology"?
- What does WMM® mean/do and what is its benefit?
- What does access control mean/do and what is its benefit?
- How secure are wireless networks?
- What is Wi-Fi Protected Access?
- Is the exposure to radiation of Wireless N dangerous?
- Is Wireless N more difficult to setup than other wireless devices?
- Why shall I buy Wireless N equipment?
- Does Wireless N give me more speed on the Internet connection as well?

What is Wi-Fi?

This special form of the radio technology makes communication possible of computers over radio waves, in order to form a network. If a router is added, then all computers in the network can use a common broadband connection.

What does a router do? And why do I need a wireless router?

A router makes it possible for several computers to simultaneously share an Internet connection such as xDSL or Cable. Additionally it offers functions, like Firewall, user administration and intelligent data communication.

What is IEEE 802.11n?

IEEE 802.11n is the next generation wireless networking standard designed to give improved wireless coverage, reliability and speed with raw data throughput expected to reach as much as 600Mbps. This is achieved by introducing some new technology and tweaking existing technologies.

How is IEEE 802.11n different to current generations of Wi-Fi?

The IEEE 802.11n standard uses some new technology and tweaks existing technologies to give Wi-Fi more speed and range. The most notable new technology is called multiple input, multiple output (MIMO). MIMO uses several antennas to move multiple data streams from one place to another. Instead of sending and receiving a single stream of data, MIMO can simultaneously transmit three streams of data and receive two. This allows more data to be transmitted in the same period of time. This technique can also increase range, or the distance over which data can be transmitted. A second technology being incorporated into IEEE 802.11n is channel bonding, which can use two separate non-overlapping channels at the same time to transmit data. This technique also increases the amount of data that can be transmitted. A third technology in IEEE 802.11n is called payload optimization or packet aggregation, which, in simple terms, means more data can be stuffed into each transmitted packet.

What does IEEE 802.11n provide that 802.11g does not?

IEEE 802.11n provides improved wireless coverage, reliability and speed. The improved performance of 802.11n means you have better wireless coverage with fewer dead spots around your home/office, and enough bandwidth to surf the Internet, download MP3s, make Internet phone calls, share files, play network games, and stream high-definition videos, simultaneously.

Is the IEEE 802.11n draft v2.0 standard backwards compatible to IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11g?

IEEE 802.11n draft v2.0 is fully backwards compatible with IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.11b wireless and substantially enhances the performance of these older components. To insure interoperability, SMC´s IEEE 802.11n draftv2.0 equipment is Wi-Fi certified for compliance with the IEEE 802.11b/g/n-draft v2.0 standards.

Are IEEE 802.11b/g/n-draft v2.0 products compatible with products from other vendors?

Yes; if the component is Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ for the same frequency band (e.g. 2.4GHz) and features (e.g. WPA), then you can mix and match wireless LAN products produced by different manufacturers. The Wi-Fi Alliance tests all products independently before they receive Wi-Fi certification to ensure they are interoperable with all other Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ products of the same frequency band and features, regardless of manufacturer. While a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ 802.11b (2.4 GHz) product will not interoperate with a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ 802.11a (5 GHz) product, a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz radios) product will interoperate with all Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ products.

Why is Wi-Fi certification important?

Certification assures a product has met the rigorous interoperability testing requirements to assure that compatible products from different vendors will work together.

When will the final IEEE 802.11n standard be ratified?

The final IEEE 802.11n standard is expected to be ratified early 2009.

Will I be able to upgrade IEEE 802.11b/g/n-draft v2.0 devices to the final 802.11n standard?

At this point it is not possible for SMC to determine whether "forward compatibility" with the final standard will exist. However there will be a big emphasis to insure interoperability between these standards.

What does MIMO mean/do and what is its benefit?

The most notable new technology of IEEE 802.11n is called multiple input, multiple output (MIMO). MIMO uses several antennas to move multiple data streams from one place to another. Instead of sending and receiving a single stream of data, MIMO can simultaneously transmit three streams of data and receive two. This allows more data to be transmitted in the same period of time. This technique can also increase range, or the distance over which data can be transmitted.

What does WPS mean/do and what is its benefit?

Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ (WPS) is an optional certification program from the Wi-Fi Alliance that is designed to ease the task of setting up and configuring security on wireless networks. Introduced by the Wi-Fi Alliance in early 2007, the program provides an industry-wide set of network setup solutions for homes and small office (SOHO) environments. Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ enables typical users who possess little understanding of traditional Wi-Fi configuration and security settings to configure new wireless networks, add new devices and enable security at the press of a button.

What is "Intelligent Stream Handling Technology"?

Intelligent Stream Handling Technology acts as a traffic cop on the network. It automatically identifies, prioritizes, and properly transmits time-sensitive, high-bandwidth media applications such as online games, VoIP, and video. This maximizes the performance of Internet connections by giving top priority to interactive traffic and uses the remaining bandwidth for lower-priority traffic such as email and file transfers.

What does WMM® mean/do and what is its benefit?

Wi-Fi Multimedia™ (WMM®) is a Wi-Fi Alliance® interoperability certification that provides basic Quality of service (QoS) features to wireless networks. WMM® automatically prioritizes traffic according to four different traffic categories maintaining the priority of audio, video and voice applications. It is suitable for simple applications that require QoS, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) allowing voice packets to achieve priority across a wireless network

What does access control mean/do and what is its benefit?

Access control allows parents or network administrators to block certain websites, limit web access based on time or dates, and/or block internet access for applications like P2P utilities or games.

How secure are wireless networks?

Unlike wired networks, wireless transmits radio waves which travel through the air and out into the open. This means that anyone within range can connect and access your wireless network unless encryption is enabled. All of SMC´s current wireless products support WPA/WPA2 encryption which prevents unauthorized access to wireless networks and insures your data is secure.

What is Wi-Fi Protected Access?

Wi-Fi Protected Access is a specification of standards-based, interoperable security enhancements, which strongly increase the level of data protection (encryption) and access control (authentication) for existing and future Wi-Fi wireless LAN systems.

Is the exposure to radiation of Wireless N dangerous?

The World Health Organization has reviewed the various bodies of research that have been conducted and has concluded that, due to the research results and the very low exposure levels associated with Wi-Fi, there is no convincing scientific evidence that weak radio frequency signals from these wireless networks cause adverse health effects. You can find more information from the World Health Organization by clicking on the following link: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs304/en/index.html

Is Wireless N more difficult to setup than other wireless devices?

No. In fact SMC´s next generation wireless N technology includes other new technologies such as "WPS". WPS enables typical users who possess little understanding of traditional Wi-Fi configuration and security settings to configure new wireless networks, add new devices and enable security at the press of a button.

Why shall I buy Wireless N equipment?

IEEE 802.11n is a breakthrough technology that enables Wi-Fi networks to do more, faster, and over a larger area. IEEE 802.11n Wi-Fi provides the best connection available for computer networking and home entertainment applications alike - delivering the range, bandwidth, and performance today´s multimedia applications and products demand.

Does Wireless N give me more speed on the Internet connection as well?

The speed of your Internet connection is defined by your Internet Service Provider and often the bottleneck. For example, a typical ADSL connection speed is around 2Mbps, whereas IEEE 802.11g wireless is 54Mbps - so IEEE 802.11g wireless is considerably faster. However, installing one of SMC´s next generation Wireless N routers with Intelligent Stream Handling Technology helps maximize the performance of Internet connections by giving top priority to interactive traffic and uses the remaining bandwidth for lower-priority traffic such as email and file transfers.